The present invention is an improvement upon certain of my prior inventions for encouraging the flocculation of impurity particles carried by waste liquids for the ultimate objective of clarifying the liquids so that they may be discharged harmlessly into streams or processed by municipal sewage treatment systems without deleterious effects. One such treater is shown, described and claimed, for example, in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,800.
Generally speaking, although the precise mechanism involved in treaters of this type is not fully understood, it is believed that by subjecting the liquid to an electric field, especially one in connection with an electrolytic action in which electrical current flow is involved, the impurity particles are so affected that they become more attractive to each other and agglomerate or flocculate more willingly than would otherwise be the case. With their mass thus increased, the particles more readily settle out in settling tanks and the like situated downstream from the electrical treaters.